Ensilage loader



Dec. 2, 1958 H. swALT 2,862,598

ENSILAGE LOADER Filed Nov. 4, 1955 -2 sheets-'sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1958 H.-`L oswALT 2,362,598

ENSILAGE .LOADER Filed Nov. 4, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 ga '/4 4, 5 J4 ENSILAGE LOADER j Harry L. Oswalt, GardenCity, Kans. Application November 4, 1955, Serial No. 544,933

11 Claims. (c1. 19s9) i I This invention relates t-o a novel mechanical loading apparatus, and more particularly to anovel apparatus for loading material, such as ensilage and the like. j

In many instances, where large quantities of stock feed must be stored, crops such as corn, alfalfa, grass, sorghums, and the like are chopped when green and are deposited in trenches formed .in the Vearth toensile. Often hay of considerable length, and vine plants such as pea vines are deposited in .this manner. The ensilage is stored in this manner for considerable periods of time, and is periodically removed for stock feeding purposes. In the past, removal of portions of ensilagefrorn the United States Patent O ffice storage pile has been relatively difcult, since afterthe Y ensilage has been stored it becomes thoroughly matted and interlocked.

In my prior application,A Serial No. 343,569, Yfiled March` 20, 1953, and entitled Ensilage Loader, now Patent No. 2,724,481, there is disclosed and claimed a novel apparatus for loading ensilage.` The ensilage loader therein disclosed does not require the considerable power required by appaensilage leaving loose and dangerous portions thereof, and

ratus previously attempted, it does not shred the pile of the ensilage does not become entangled with the loaden,

In general, the Vloader of I ny prior application utilizes a reel having rearwardly leaning blades or paddles. These blades or paddles do notV dig vinto theensilage in the manner attempted prior tomy invention, but on the contrary they compress the ensilage. blade or paddle compresses the ensilage, and then moves past the ensilage, the inherent resilience of the compressed lensilage causes it to spring or pop into the air where it is engaged by the next succeeding blade or paddle for displacement from the pile onto a conveyor mechanism. j

It is an object of this invention to provide improvements over my aforesaid ensilage loader.

More speciically, it isV an object of this invention to provide a reel for loading ensilage and having means thereon for cutting long ensilage 'such as pea vines and long hay, whereby positively to preclude any tendencyof the ensilage to shred or t-o tangle up with the reel.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an ensilage loading reel having cutting blades thereon angled rearwardly relative to the direction of rotation of the reel for cutting theV ensilage without becoming entangled therewith.

Other objects of this invention include the provision As Veach succeeding of an ensilage loading reel which is simple and economical to fabricate, and which is of rigid and rugged construction. Y

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying,

carrying the same, and forming the inventive portion of` the loader hereinr disclosed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section view taken substantially along the line 3f-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 isa sectional View of the reel as taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end View of the reel;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a portion of the reel showing the attachment of the helical band to the blades or paddles, and the attachment of the cutters to the band;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View through a cutter as taken substantially along the line 7--7 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is atop view of one of the cutters.

Referring now in greater particularity to the drawings, and rst to Fig. 1, there is shown a truck 10 having the ensilage loader 12 mounted on the bed thereof. The ensilage loader is supported in part by a frame 14 of generally triangular shape on each side of the bed, and

a pair of channel members'16 are mounted on the lower end of a conveyor mechanism 18, the upper end being supported bythe frame 14. The channel members slide past the truck bed and provide lateral'stability for the conveyor mechanism as it is raised or lowered by a hydraulic jack 19. The conveyorv mechanism includes' an endless belt 20 having cleats 22 thereon for raising the ensilageto be loaded. In addition, there is an extension 24 of the conveyor supported byuprights 26 at the front part vof the truck for carrying the ensilage forward of the truck. Y This extension conveyor alsoincludes an extension of theliexible belt angled forwardly over suitj able rubber tired rollers, the cleats 22 being made in. sections Ysojas to pass4 the rollers 21. The beltorbeltslf are `driven by a power takeoff 23 on the truck andV operati." ing through suitable belts and pulleys 30, andra link chain 32.

The upright members 14 comprise channel .rnember's'` facing one another, and asvwill be speen in Fig. 2 there is. a Vpivotally mounted cross member-34 extending betweenv them. An upstandingsupport 36 (Fig. l) at either end of the cross member 34 (see also Fig. 3) provides' ksupport for the'cross member 34 and is pivotally supported which hereinafterl will appear, and a depending part` 42 thereon supports a yreel 44 forming the subject matter of this invention. Y v

A longitudinal drive shaft 46 is rotatably supported from the boom by means such as brackets 48; ,The drive shaft'46 isY shown nas being positioned to one side of and below the boom, but it is to be understood Vthat it could, kbe directly below the boom, and it is within thecontemplation of the invention that the drive shaft might be mounted within the boom. In any eventthe drive shaft is-driven by bevel gearing 50 (Fig. 2) from Va cross shaft driven by one of the pulleys of the drive mechanism 30 previously referredto` At the lower end of the drive: shaft 46 further bevel gearing 52 drives a sprocket 54 the drive shaft 4 6 could'be extended and could operate v through bevel gears o1' the like directly to Ydrive the reel without the intermediary` of the link belt 56. 1

` Thereel 44; comprises a Vshaft or axle 62 driven by` the sprocket 58 and rotatably jsupported by Aportionsof .the next blade engaged the pile.

the depending part or bracket 42. The reel, aside from the shaft or axle, is discontinuous at its center portion to provide clearance for the driving mechanism such as the link belt Yor chain 56 and the sprocketSS. Oneither side ofthe central discontinuity, the` reel comprises` a .pair

of spaced discs` 64 of relatively small size. A1 plurality of' spokes 66 extends generally radially outwardlyK from the discs 64. The spokes, are,welded or,otherwise suitably afxed to the discs, and form a generally frusto.-

conical pattern.

Blades or paddles 68.are welded to the outer ends of the spokes. The blades or paddles extend parallel to the shaftor axle 62, and eachof the blades or paddles is of generally Z-shaped cross` section. The Z-shaped blades or paddles provide a very rigid reel structure. An important feature of the invention is that the blades or paddles lean backwardly relative to thel direction of rotation of the reel. In other words, the blades are sooriented that inner portions ofthe bladeslead outer portions thereof in rotation. As explained in my co-pending application previously referred to, this prevents the blades from digging into the ensilage andbecoming entangled therewith. The blades press down on the ensilage, and as each blade leaves a section of compressed ensilage, the inherent resiliency of the ensilage causes it to spring into the air where it is displaced by the next succeeding blade to fall down onto the conveyor mechanism 18.

As previously has been alluded to, and as will be obvious in the drawings, the blades or paddles 68 are interrupted at the center ofthe reel. Thus, the reel might be consideredto constitute a pair of reel sections 44a and 44h. In addition to the parts previously described, each reel sectionis provided with a helical band 70 wound aboutrthe` blades 68. Each band comprises a flat steel bar, and has an outer surface flush with the outer edge of each blade 68. Conveniently the bands are joined to the blades by forming slots in the outer edges of the blades into which the bands are inserted, the bands then being welded to the blades. In addition to the setting of the bands into slots in the blades, it will be apparent that the bands engage the apices of the blades, and welding at this point` also provides an extremely rigid structure. The bands are provided to prevent bobbing or vibrating of the reel up and down. They do this by providing continuous contact with the surface of the ensilage to support the weight of the reel, whereas it will be apparent that without the bands there would be no support for the reel from the time one blade left the pile of ensilage until Furthermore, the blades, being helically arranged, are disposed relative to the direction of rotation so as to tend to feed the ensilage in toward the center of the reel, thereby facilitating disposition of the ensilage on the conveyor or elevator 18.

A plurality of spring tongues is spaced helically about the reel section, generally in the same pattern as the bands, but axially displaced therefrom. These tongues, hereinafter identified by the numeral 72, are triangular in outline, having pointed outer tips, and are curved when viewed from the end of the reel as in Fig. 5. The tongues conveniently are fastened by rivets, or by any other suitable means, to the webs of these Z-shaped blades, and project outwardly a short distance behind the blades. The spring tongues trail the blades in the direction of rotation so that there is no tendency for them to dig into the ensilage and to become entangled therewith. Their function is to augment the inherent springing action of the compressed ensilage to displace the ensilage from a pile thereof.

The reel is completed by a plurality of more or less triangular shaped cutters 74. The cutters, as best may be seenin ,Figs 4.and 6-8, comprise anges 76 bolted, riveted,'or,otherwise suitably secured against the sides of the bands 70, and further comprise angularly disposed blades` 78 which extend outwardly at ar shallow4 angle abovethe-bands, and lapproach parallelism withrthe .blades 68, but oriented in a trailing manner so as to avoid entanglement with the ensilage. the blades are sharpened. The cutters are particularly ellicacious in cutting up long hay silage and pea vine silage, and other silage of long stock, into useful lengths which readily can be handled without any tendency to become entangled with the reel. j

Operation of the ensilage loader will be seen with regard to Fig. 1. The boom 38 and reel 44 are raised by the hydraulic mechanism including the piston and cylinder 40 to thc top of a-pile of ensilage 82. The reel is brought into engagement with the pile of ensilage by backi ing the truck slightly, and the boom and reel then are hydraulically lowered. The sharpened cutters 74 cut up any long lengths of ensilage into shorter lengths which can be handled efficiently, and the succeeding blades 68 compress the silage, and then knock the compressed silage from the pile as it springs out following compression by a blade. The` falling silage is received by the elevator or conveyor mechanism 18, which carries the same forwardly for deposit in a truck or wagon (not shown) positioned in front of the truck 10. The helical bands 70 prevent the reel from vibrating or bobbing up and down, and help to feed ensilage toward the center where it more readily is picked up by the conveyor or elevator. Furthermore, the bands help to provide an extremely rigid structure, and the rigidity is furtherv enhanced by4 the Z-shapel of the blades 68. The lower portion of the conveyor or elevator 18 is formed as a bulldozer 84 to facilitate loading of loose material onto the conveyor orelevator, simply by backing the truck against theloose material.

The reel asv herein shown and described displaces ensilage from a pile with a minimum of power. The ensilage, even long stock such as long hay and pea vines, does not become entangled with the reel. A rm and well defined cut is made by the reel so that there are no jagged or loose edges on the pile. It will be appreciated` that such jagged or loose edges would allow air to get at the ensilage, and this would cause the ensilage to deteriorate. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to walk on top of a pile of ensilage, and loose or ragged edges can be quite dangerous as the pile readily could give way beneath a man walking nearV the edge thereof.

Itis to be understood that the specific example ofthe invention as herein shown and described is for exemplary purpo-ses only. Various changes in' structure will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art, and are to be understood as forming a part of the invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In an apparatus for loading material, such as ensilage and the like, the combination comprising rotatable means for removing said material from a storage pile thereof, said rotatable means being of generally elongated cylindrical construction and comprising a plurality of blades extending generally longitudinally of the rotatable means substantially at the circumference thereof, and a plurality of cutters spaced about said rotatable means, said cutters having cutting edges arranged generally diagonally of the direction of movement of the adjacent parts of the rotatable means, leading portions of said Cutters being closer to the axis of rotation of said rotatable means than outer portions of said cutters are to said axis.

2. In an apparatus for loading material such* as ensilage and the like, a reel comprising a plurality of substan'tially longitudinally extending blades engageable with the material, helical band means wrapped around said 'blades and forming a support for said reel on said mate-v rial between said blades, and a plurality of cutters mount ed on said band means andradaptedto cutsaid material.

3. The combination as set f-orth in claim 2 wherein" each cutter comprises a ange afiixed to said helical band The leading edges of 4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 and further including a plurality of spring tongues mounted on the first mentioned blades and extending outwardly therefrom and rearwardly relative to the direction `of rotation of said reel.

5. In an' apparatus for loading material, such as ensilage and the like, the combination comprising a reel having a plurality of peripherally spaced blades parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel and successively engageable with such material for dislodging the same from a pile thereof, helical band means substantially encircling said blades and formin'g a support for said reel between said blades, and a plurality of cutters mounted on said band means for cutting said material.

6. The combination asset forth in claim 5 wherein the blades are of substantially Z-shaped cross section.

7. A rotary device for use in ensilage loaders and the like adapted for rotation' in a given direction for displacing ensilage and the like from a pile thereof, comprising a plurality of pressure applying means engageable with the ensilage pile for compressing the surface of said pile so that as said means disengages from the pile upon rotation of said rotary device the inherent resiliency of the en'silage causes the compressed ensilage to spring out- Wardly from said surface for engagement with a following pressure applying means for sweeping said outwardly sprung ensilage from the pile, and a plurality of cutters spaced about said rotary device for cutting ensilage in said pile.

8. A rotary device as set forth in claim 7 wherein radially outward portions of sa'd cutters trail radially inward portion's thereof upon rotation in said given direction.

9. In an apparatus for loading material, such as ensilage and the like, a reel comprising a plurality Aof peripherally spaced blades substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said reel, said blades being successively engageable with a storage pile of such material for removing said material therefrom, each blade having the inner edge thereof leading the outer edge in' the direction of rotation of said reel and disposed at an angle `of not more than ninety degrees to the corresponding radius of the reel so that the outer portions of the blades engage the material behind inner portions thereof.

10. A reel as set forth in claim 9 wherein the blades are substantially Z-shaped in cross section, having a pair of anges and an interconnecting web, one of said flanges extending generally outwardly from said web, and the other extending generally inwardly from said web rela tive to said reel, the outwardly extending ange trailing the inwardly extending flange in the direction of rotation of said reel.

l1. A reel as set forth in claim 10 and further including helical band means substantially wrapped about said blades, andsa plurality of cutters spaced alon'g said band means, each of said cutters including a base aixed to said band means and a triangular portion extending outwardly therefrom and having a free end, each triangular portion having a cutting edge, the cutting edge adjacent the base being positioned radially inwardly of the cutting edge adjacent the free end, and leading the cutting edge adjacent the free end in the direction of rotation of said reel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES` PATENTS 2,719,058` Van Dusen Sept. 27, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 44,205 Sweden June 26, 1918 142,897 Sweden Nov. 10, 1953 

